


Ephemera

by Leximuth



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationship, Embarrassment, M/M, Other, Pre-War, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 05:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12977040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leximuth/pseuds/Leximuth
Summary: Starscream knows what he wants. It's definitely not an incompetent, bumbling lackey. Fortunately for both of them, Skyfire is none of those things.Things develop.





	Ephemera

Vos was _huge._

Skyfire had to watch his feet as he walked through the narrow streets, but he couldn't help glancing up now and then to catch a glimpse of the great spires - it was almost dizzying to look up at them, their distant tips shimmering with sunlight even though it was night where Skyfire stood. Hundreds of tetrajets wove through the peaks. Their song rang from every turret.

"Watch it," someone snapped, and Skyfire guiltily snapped his attention back to ground-level. A wheeled mech, barely knee-height, glowered up at him. "You with the new recruits?"

"New recruits?" Skyfire stared blankly. "I'm not military..."

The mech scoffed, jabbing a finger violently at Skyfire's shin and growling, "You think I'd mistake a wing nut like you for military? I'd bet good credits that you've never even seen a plasma rifle. No, you're one of Perceptor's recruits. Perceptor!" The mech turned to bellow over his shoulder. "Got another one wandering for you! Go on that-a-way, Perceptor will get you straightened out."

"Thank you," Skyfire said automatically, but the mech was already moving on to corral someone else.

Perceptor turned out to be just around the corner, delegating assignments to a small group of science-bots who looked every bit as confused as Skyfire felt. He found a place in the back, not wanting to block anyone's view.

"Greenlight? There you are - you're with Farsight. And who are you - ah, Comettor. You'll be working in Glyph's division. And you back there?"

"Skyfire," he called out - it was hard to mistake a look in his direction. He was easily a third again the height of any other mech there.

"Skyfire, you're also with Glyph," Perceptor said. "And you over here -"

Skyfire felt totally lost for a moment - who was Glyph? This was so disorganized, certainly nothing befitting an organized scientific community. He was wondering whether signing up for this research exchange program had really been the best idea when he saw a delicate blue bot waving at him from the sidelines. Several other mechs had clustered around her. Most of them were wheeled, but the one standing beside Glyph with folded arms and a devastating scowl was clearly a flier.

"You're Skyfire, yes?" she greeted him, reaching up to shake his hand politely. "I'm Glyph, the lead archaeometrist and the closest thing we have to a senior xenologist. Sorry to shuttle you around so much -" Someone in the back snickered, but Skyfire did his best to ignore it. "- but Starscream here will be showing you around today."

"Finally," the flier hissed, "I despise sucking the exhaust down here." And with no further ado, he lit his thrusters and took off vertically.

Skyfire sighed. Glyph looked sympathetic but was clearly biting back a laugh. "He won't wait," she advised. "You'd better get going."

"Fantastic." Skyfire kept a bead on Starscream's position (rapidly moving in any direction that was _away_ , of course) and moved just far enough down the street to avoid blasting anyone with exhaust - and then, in a very awkward twist that grated his nosecone against a wall, he transformed and fired his launch sequence.

This day was bad enough already. Skyfire didn't plan on letting it get any worse.

As soon as he had enough clearance between buildings to maneuver, he fired his boosters. Spires shot by, hardly more than blurs, and he found himself making split-second maneuvers around low-flying traffic as Starscream's marker slowly drew closer.

He began to catch glimpses of Starscream between buildings - and then the little slagheap started to _evade him._ Skyfire grimly hung on, weaving at terrifying speeds to hang onto Starscream's signal. He nearly lost it at a skybridge when the slagged thing loomed out of nowhere, a group of jets perched on its canopy, but Skyfire threw himself under it desperately and only just scraped a stabilizer on its underside. It was gone behind him in the next instant but a sheer wall loomed up and up and up -

Skyfire peeled off to one side, only realizing after that Starscream had gone the other way. Well, fraggit. Time to back off and lull the jet into false security. Let him think he'd won.

Cautiously, not actually sure of the air traffic rules in Vos, he kept low and let Starscream edge further out on his sensors, gradually weaving his way back only after Starscream had slowed down. He was reasonably certain that he was attracting undue attention - he didn't actually see many fliers other than tetrajets in the air. And in fact, the streets below seemed too narrow to even permit ground-bound mechs to make use of them, let alone land a flier.

A small cluster of jets swooped down, fluttering around him, constantly shifting position and playing in his airstream. "Are you lost?" one commed at him, a bright chirp in its voice. "You're all by yourself, I see."

"We can help you," another one purred. "It's no imposition."

"We're always glad to give a hand," the third laughed, slipping along his underbelly.

Skyfire shivered - he couldn't help it, that _tickled._ "Thank you, really, but although I admit this is my first time in Vos..." One of the jets rumbled, sounding horribly smug. "I'm actually following someone."

"They're not taking very good care of you if you're all by yourself, then," one argued. Another ducked behind Skyfire's wing, then thrust forward with a giggle to play havoc with his slipstream. "We can show you around."

"Oh yes, there's so many sights and sounds in Vos."

"I'm sure there's a skydance tonight..." They all began to snicker. Skyfire got the distinct feeling he was being mocked, however gently it might be.

"No thank you," he said firmly. "I really must catch up with Starscream."

Just like that, they peeled away, their energy fields abruptly shifting from warm caresses to a static-sharp zing. "Oh, him," one laughed carelessly. "Have fun with that one, stranger!"

What was he getting himself into? Skyfire's processor was beginning to ache just from trying to determine whether they'd actually been flirting as blatantly as he thought they were.

Starscream's signal had crept closer while the jets played with Skyfire. He considered his options for a moment - totally unfamiliar territory, a signal lock, and little else to work with. Very well.

He dove sideways, twisting his thrusters to take the corner as close to ninety degrees as he could - and then again on the other side, barely waiting for the horizon to even out before throwing open his throttle and kicking his boosters to full. Then he cursed - Starscream was flying higher than expected, above layers of traffic. Well. He'd only live once.

Skyfire pressed all his processing power into collision-avoidance and arced up towards Starscream. Jets danced around him, effortlessly avoiding his flightpath - it only took a moment to realize that what took his full attention was hardly more than background processing to them. Dodging him was practically a game. He kept his own evasive maneuvers anyhow - no sense in counting on others to avoid his own stupidity.

Somehow, Starscream didn't see him coming.

Skyfire shot up just in front of Starscream's nosecone, startling him into a stall - and oh, that was _satisfying._ He cut his boosters but didn't alter course. Let Starscream catch up to _him_ this time. Skyfire tried not to judge anyone he'd known less than a solar cycle, but he figured Starscream wasn't the type to allow anyone to best him.

Sure enough, Starscream changed course and velocity to intercept Skyfire. He didn't rocket ahead, though, simply settled by Skyfire's wing and let him lead them aimlessly.

"How did you find me?" Starscream finally asked, sounding distinctly disgruntled.

"I never lost you," Skyfire answered. He hoped he sounded only a little smug.

"Hmph." They flew in silence for a bit before Starscream vented loudly, a bright thermal burst. "Well, I suppose we should turn around and head for the Academy."

"Where is it?" Skyfire banked slowly around a spire. His struts were beginning to ache a bit - he'd really overdone it, but it had been so worth it.

"Oh, just beside Glyph," Starscream said carelessly.

It took Skyfire a moment to realize he was serious. Then he had to very carefully hold onto his temper rather than attempt to ram the jet sideways into a skybridge.

"I am going to despise you," Skyfire intoned, and Starscream laughed.

***

The problem was that it was very hard for Skyfire to kick a wounded turbofox, no matter how many pincers sank into his hand. It was impossible to hate someone like that - despite Starscream's best efforts. But quite frankly, it wasn't that difficult to work his way past Starscream's prickly defenses. All it took was consistently thick plating, really. 

***

"You're not doing anything after work, are you?" Starscream asked Skyfire, leaning over the lab bench in a way that came perilously close to knocking over _everything._ It was just the day before that Skyfire had figured out he did this on purpose, the brat - it guaranteed Skyfire's attention. Sullenly, he ignored Starscream just to be contrary to expectations. (Starscream was probably rubbing off on him a bit.)

It didn't even matter: Starscream answered himself, "No, of course you're not, you just go straight to your quarters. Which are pathetic, by the way. I mean really, housing a proper scientist way over in the shipping district just because he's large? We alter the aeries all the time, it's just poor planning that they didn't have one ready for you. Anyhow, you should actually get out and see Vos properly. You've never even seen the Great Tower, have you?"

Skyfire sighed. Starscream being chatty was new and therefore alarming. He'd been fine with practically ignoring each other before now. "Thank you, but I have things to attend to at home."

He got a narrow look for that. "Bringing work home, are you?"

Skyfire hesitated to answer, trying to figure out that expression. It took a moment to work his mind into suspicion. " _Oh._ Starscream, I'm not... It didn't even occur to me. I wouldn't do extra work just to better you. I'm not even sure I could, you're quite brilliant."

That seemed to soothe Starscream a bit, but the suspicion lingered. Skyfire couldn't abide it, and he added, "I'll prove it if I must."

Just like that, Starscream leaned back, smug and pleased as a cybercat full of spilled oil, and Skyfire realized he'd been had. "Why, Skyfire, I'd love to come to your place after work."

Skyfire groaned and dropped his head to the bench. Starscream laughed, almost gently, and flicked a finger against his helm.

"Perhaps after that," Starscream said, "we could go flying."

From the cocoon of his arms, Skyfire glanced up suspiciously. "You feel bad for not fulfilling your duties to show me around, don't you?"

Starscream shrugged, not looking particularly guilty at all. "Glyph might be pestering me a bit."

"You're incorrigible." 

Starscream just smirked, and with only a very small mutter of consternation, Skyfire got back to work.

***

"Skyfire," Starscream called out as the door hissed shut behind him, a burst of air following him into the lower pressure of the biological lab, "Skyfire, I know you're in here."

"As I should be," Skyfire answered without looking up from the bench. "The next three days we'll be locked out for holiday, and we need to stabilize the samples."

"Yes, exactly," Starscream said in that infuriatingly dismissive way he had when he simply was not listening. "Skyfire, this is important, do pay attention."

"Is the centrifuge broken?"

"What? No. That's irrelevant."

Skyfire huffed, finally looking up from the bacterial sample. "It's hardly irrelevant. The slagged thing breaks every orn, right when I need it most."

"It's completely irrelevant," Starscream snapped, hands on his hip-plates. "Now shut up and listen."

Skyfire couldn't help a small smile - Starscream was outright adorable when demanding attention, though he did always pick the absolute worst times for it. "Yes, Starscream," he said fondly, "you have my undivided interest."

"Oh, well." Starscream paused for a moment, actually looking unsure for once, and then simply shrugged. "Well, that takes care of that conversation, then."

"I - what?" Skyfire was completely baffled. Starscream walked briskly toward him and then (what was even going _on_?) fired his thrusters to land in Skyfire's lap.

"Starscream," Skyfire said, trying to resist the pull of the hand on the back of his neck, "what are you-"

"You just said," Starscream hissed, "that I have your undivided interest-"

"I meant for the conversation!" Skyfire felt like the energon running through his body would curdle with embarrassment, but at least Starscream stopped trying to pull him closer.

There was a long pause. "Well then," Starscream finally sighed, "that makes things awkward."

Skyfire managed a laugh, shaking Starscream a little. "It certainly does. Shall we start from the beginning?"

"Yes." Starscream leaned back, as prim as a mech in another's lap could be. "I'll say it plainly, since apparently today is the day for terrible misunderstandings. Simply put: I want to interface with you. It's a fantastic idea and you should agree immediately."

Why did talking with Starscream always feel like being run over by a convoy of mining-shuttles? "That's incredibly inappropriate. Starscream, we work together-"

"Yes, yes, which is why I know you in the first place, it's utterly irrelevant," Starscream waved aside his objection. "The point is that I want to interface with you and judging by the looks you give my aft when you think I can't see you in the reflection from the chronometer, you want to interface with me too. Which is why you're going to say yes and then drive me wild with your fingers in my -"

"I am so glad we had this conversation," Skyfire said dryly. "I don't feel sexually harassed at all."

"That seminar was _stupid_ ," Starscream hissed vehemently. "If I want to interface with a consenting party, I will _interface with a consenting party._ "

"You are adorable when you're mad," Skyfire said without thinking - and then he realized, and the triumphant look on Starscream's face said that he certainly realized as well. "It's still a terrible idea."

"Don't be absurd," Starscream said wickedly, his hand on the back of Skyfire's helm again. "All of my ideas are brilliant."

"We'll get in trouble," Skyfire murmured, a little startled to realize that his mouth brushed against Starscream's as he talked. "They would be within rights to expel us from the department, and there's a reason coworkers shouldn't-"

"Oh do stop being so _reasonable_ ," Starscream sighed - and then they were kissing, strangely sweet and hesitant.


End file.
